Kerala takes IT training to 'neoliterates'

The literacy campaign in Kerala added another first to its credit when it set up a computer institute under the Continuing Education Programme to impart training in information technology to students and 'neoliterates' in the hilly district of Idukki.

The institute, the first of its kind in the country, intends to acquaint all students, including those of the literacy campaign of Idukki, with the rapidly changing scientific environment, rather than making them competitive for jobs, Programme Executive of District Literacy Mission K Soman said.

The institute is financed by the district panchayat with an installed investment of Rs 2.5 million, he said, adding that of the 80 seats, half of were reserved for students selected by the district panchayat, especially from the weaker sections.

Also, the district has pioneered in introducing many other successful projects under the literacy programme.

In recent two-month vocational training camps, about 1,250 students, 600 of which were tribals, received training in 25 schools.

Besides giving special coaching to dropouts, the literacy mission has also drawn up programmes to impart computer training right from the basics to the post-graduation level, Soman said.

Under the income generation scheme, the mission has set up 30 centres to train the neoliterates in professional trades.

A permanent institute modelled after the Industrial Training Institutes is also being set up at Nedumkandom in the district, he added.

Another novel venture is to give further training to tribals in their traditional jobs like carpentry, bamboo-related jobs and pottery, with the help of experts in the field.

As many as 1,200 people would be trained at a time and about 5,000 people are expected to be covered under the scheme in a year.

All the projects are funded by district panchayats and are being given free of cost to candidates.